Get the scoop on Zoe Cipres, one of the stars of Rescue: HI-Surf, Fox’s new Hawaii-set action series.
Seemingly a contemporary answer to the classic ‘90s lifeguard show Baywatch, Rescue: HI-Surf follows the same core premise: Brave men and women patrolling a densely packed beach while dealing with interpersonal conflict.
Zoe Cipres plays the role of Hina Alexander, a fresh recruit on the lifeguard staff.
4 Fun Facts About Zoe Cipres from Rescue: HI-Surf
Zoe Cipres Has Always Wanted to Work in the Biz
27-year-old Zoe Cipres has had her sights set on the acting world for a long time. In 2021, she posted artwork she created when she was nine on Instagram.
The drawings and a poetic journal entry from around the same time in her life paint an image of a person laser-focused on becoming an actor.
The poem from her childhood diary includes passages like “I want to be the youngest to win an Oscar” and “I’m an actor… and I’ll always be.” This stuff is in her blood.
Cipres attended William Esper Studio, a drama school in New York City. According to its website, Esper is the “premier acting school in the world for the Meisner technique,” a performing principle that prioritizes an emotional and instinctual connection to the role.
Zoe Cipres is in stellar company. Notable alumni of William Esper Studio include Jeff Goldblum, Patricia Heaton, and Kathy Bates, among many others.
Zoe Used to Model in Japan
While a teenager living in her home state of Hawaii, Cipres traveled to Japan several weekends for modeling gigs.
In 2014, she sat down with Hawaii News Now to discuss her frequent travels to the Land of the Rising Sun:
"It’s definitely a challenge, having to commute so often, but it‘s been a great experience so far."
She also spoke on balancing her career as a model with her then-status as a high schooler:
"This year, it’s been a lot harder than it was when I was a junior, just because I’ve been busy applying for colleges and SATs and everything. But I’ve learned so much, doing this and working in Japan just because… it’s a life experience that you can’t you can’t gain unless you’re actually doing it."
Zoe Only Had Four Days To Train for Her Rescue: Hi-Surf Role
Zoe Cipres described her Rescue: HI-Surf character Hina Alexander as possessing “ambition and drive,” two qualities that she can personally relate to, as she discussed with TV Fanatic:
"Well, yes, because I’m from Hawaii as well, and I just wanted to be a part of a show filmed in Hawaii and about Hawaii. What I love about Hina is her ambition and drive, and I feel like I have a lot of the same qualities as her. That was probably my main thing."
That sense of drive was likely put to the test after getting cast on the Fox series, as her training for the part was condensed:
“Yeah. The training was … it was a lot. I was the last person to get cast, so I only had about four days of training before we started filming, whereas the rest of the cast had about two weeks. I keep saying the training, but it never stopped. We kept training. I mean, even at work, we were training.”
Cipres further explained that the prep work was constant:
“We were constantly out in the water, surfing, swimming, doing lifeguard drills, running, and just staying active. I tried to stay super active and super fit throughout the entire filming process.”
And despite growing up in Hawaii, she didn’t have an extreme level of experience around the water, despite knowing “how the ocean can be:”
'No, I didn’t. I grew up on the island, and so I understand the ocean. Going into this, I knew what I was getting into, and I knew that it would be hard. I know how the ocean can be, so that was definitely helpful."
Zoe Will Next Star Opposite Lena Headey in Long Pork
On the horizon for Cipres is an appearance in a short film called Long Pork, featuring Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey.
In the short, Headey plays a chef at a fancy steakhouse in a state that has adopted pro-life legislation and who has lost a child because of it. This sets her on a path of retribution against the judge who denied her daughter’s request for an abortion.
It’s not known which character Cipres plays in Long Pork, and the film has not been announced with a release date. It was written and directed by Iris Dukatt and produced by Madhouse Films.
How To Follow Zoe Cipres Online
Zoe Cipres can be found on Instagram.
Rescue: HI-Surf premiered on Fox on September 22. The next episode will air on Monday, September 23 at 9 p.m. ET.
